of life? Or is it a state of mind, as in those who embrace freedom in their hearts are truly free? Or is it a combination of all of these?

Certainly freedom is more than a mere label, for many of the characters in Gem of the Ocean may be freed slaves or the children of freed slaves, but they do not have the ability to determine their own course in life. Take Garret Brown, for instance. Garret is an innocent man; he did not steal the bucket of nails from the mill. Yet he is accused, and no one will believe his pleas of innocence. He is not really free, for there are people, like Caesar, who would be quick to imprison him for a crime he did not commit. His word counts for nothing. Garret, however, believes that he is taking his true freedom when he decides to lose his life rather than falsely admit his guilt.

There are other characters in the play who are not truly free in their states of life either. Solly's sister, Eliza, in Alabama is technically free; at least, she's not a slave. But she writes to Solly that “the times are terrible here the most anybody remember since bondage.” Black people cannot leave the area at all, and they are often beaten and even killed. Eliza isn't sure how much longer she can hold on under those circumstances. Citizen, who arrived from Alabama only a month before, actually had to sneak out of the state in order to travel north.

Even in the North, though, Black people are rarely truly free, especially those who work at the mill, for they end up deeply in debt to their employer and cannot quit their jobs. That's what happens to Citizen. He borrows money, and his paycheck goes to pay his debt, leaving him with nothing. That's why he steals a bucket of nails. “Making the people owe is worse than slavery,” Citizen remarks to Solly. Citizen's crime actually imprisons him far more than any jail could, however, for he experiences extreme guilt. He knows that he is responsible for Garret's death, at least in part, and his soul seems to be in bondage. Aunt Ester finally helps him let go of that guilt (by admitting what he had done) and find mental, emotional, and spiritual freedom.

Out of all the characters in the play (with the possible exception of Aunt Ester), Solly Two Kings has the strongest ideas about freedom, what it means, what it doesn't, and how one should use it. Solly was born into slavery, but he ran away, making his way to Canada in 1857. When he got there, however, he says, “It didn't feel right being in freedom and my mom and all the other people still in bondage." Solly became a conductor on the Underground Railroad and carried sixty-two people to freedom. That's what made him truly free. He continues to seek true freedom for others, which is why he burns down the mill, for he believes it is a place of bondage just as much as a slave plantation. In the end, Solly (who nearly escapes Caesar's wrath) again decides to risk his own freedom to save others. He returns to try to free those imprisoned after the riots at the mill and loses his life in the process, but somehow in that act of returning to face the consequences of his actions and help others, Solly embraces the truest freedom, for he is free in his mind, heart, and soul.

All the characters in August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean are shown as not being truly free. All are held back in some way by the burden of the past. The power of the past is best represented by Aunt Ester, who is said to be 267 years old; her life spans the period since enslavement began in the British colonies. She uses the past in generally positive ways, drawing on her knowledge to help each successive generation manage the present and envision a different future.

Wilson explores the impact of the past through the relationship between actual events and people’s emotional and psychological interpretation of those events. Citizen and Caesar are two characters who show how this impact differs. Citizen set off a chain reaction that ultimately led to Garret’s death. The audience sees Aunt Ester try to aid Citizen on his spiritual journey to coping with this guilt. In contrast, Caesar actually does commit murder, but he seems to not to suffer remorse. Regardless, Wilson implies, Caesar will retain the burden of his crime.

Solly shows how the legacy of enslavement remains with a person. His own journey to freedom was only the beginning of a longer journey to help others escape enslavement in his involvement in the Underground Railroad. He continued to carry the weight of this sense of responsibility, taking it upon himself to help the imprisoned mill workers.

The central question of freedom is contrasted to enslavement in August Wilson's play. The author presents the idea of one character who embodies all enslaved persons: Aunt Ester Tyler. The paradox that Wilson offers is that—because she was enslaved for so long—once Emancipation arrives, Aunt Ester cannot be truly free. She is at liberty to live her life according to her own decisions, but she cannot completely escape the burden of suffering she bears from those centuries of bondage. A further paradox is contained in her calling as a "soul cleanser." for she has the gift of lifting the burdens that others bear.

Solly Two Kings and Eli seem to be the characters who most embody freedom. This is because they devoted their lives to helping others achieve freedom through their work on the Underground Railroad. Their resistance to the unjust system that was slavery showed that in their minds they could not be enslaved.

Caesar Wilkes, in contrast, seems to remain in bondage. He serves the figurative masters of legality and materialism. The relationship between law and justice escapes him. Because he is often incapable of making his own ethical decisions, he cannot be considered free.

Freedom is a slippery concept and an elusive reality for the characters in August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean. To get you started on this assignment, let's reflect on how the characters do and do not experience freedom in this play.

Aunt Ester was once a slave, and she is perhaps the freest character in the story. She has come to terms with her life and her spirituality. Nothing seems to bother her all that much, and she can use her freedom to help others achieve freedom.

Solly Two Kings is another former slave who once used his freedom to help other people move to freedom along the underground railroad. Solly is very much affected by the continuing form of slavery he sees all around him as his neighbors are held in bondage by their jobs at the local mill. This is why he burns the mill down: to free the people.

Citizen Barlow is not at all free. He is trapped by his conscience, for he has stolen a bucket of nails from the mill. Another man took the blame and died for it, and now Citizen must face what he has done in order to find freedom.

Black Mary is caught up in the household tensions in Aunt Ester's home, and she is also frustrated that she never seems to be able to please Aunt Ester. We might ask if Black Mary is ever able to please herself.

Caesar Wilks thinks that he is the freest person of them all, but he is really the least free, for he is the slave of his pride and violence. He thinks that he is upholding the law, but he is breaking every code of human decency.